


#10 Dream, conclusion

by gpadow



Category: Gunsmoke, Matt/Kitty
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-20
Updated: 2011-09-20
Packaged: 2017-10-23 21:51:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/255394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gpadow/pseuds/gpadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This respectfully features characters and canon from the television series, Gunsmoke, which aired in 1955. They do not belong to me.</p>
    </blockquote>





	#10 Dream, conclusion

**Author's Note:**

> This respectfully features characters and canon from the television series, Gunsmoke, which aired in 1955. They do not belong to me.

#10 Dream, part II

 

Oct. 27th, 2009 at 7:08 PM

 

"Fifty thousand dollars. That's a heap a money, Matthew."

"And he had it sent to the Long Branch, Festus. Cora had quite an influence over Devereaux and must have set him up."

The hillman could see the concern on the face of his friend and knew he was worried for Kitty's safety.

"The worst thing is not knowing what's going on in Dodge," Matt said.

 

###

Wil Tanner stood in the center of his room at the Dodge House and went over the papers in the stolen wallet that belonged to the nephew of Agatha Faraday.

Cora Gavin Tanner left her room at the Poppy Hotel and headed across Front Street to start her shift at the Long Branch. She hoped the documents would fool Kitty into turning over the money Devereaux had left in her care.

"Miss Gavin?"  
Cora turned to smile at the well dressed-man standing at the bar.

"Miss Cora, this gentleman is Mr. Upton," Sam said. "He has some business with Mr. Devereaux, but he hasn't picked up his messages at the hotel."

"Charles had to leave on business," Cora said.

The blond continued her well-rehearsed explanation. "If you're here about the Faraday matter, Charles left instructions not to hold up the sale.

I believe Mrs. Faraday's attorney has all the paperwork and will be picking up the money as Charles arranged, Cora smiled up at the man.

Now, Mr. Upton, wouldn't you like to buy me a drink?"

"My pleasure, ma'am," Upton grinned.

A few minutes later, Tanner entered the Long Branch. He looked over at a table where two men sat drinking and playing poker. They both looked at him and shifted their eyes toward a table where Cora was laughing with George Upton.

Tanner stepped up to the bar, and Sam asked, "What'll it be, mister?"

"Actually, I'm looking for the owner, a Miss Russell," Tanner replied. "My name's Faraday."

"Miss Kitty's not to be disturbed right now. Maybe I can help," Sam said.

"Perhaps. I'm here to pick up a rather large amount of money she has been holding for my aunt as part of a business transaction she has with Charles Devereaux.

Do you have access to the safe here, barkeep?"

"There's nothing in there but Long Branch business, mister. And I wouldn't open it without Miss Kitty's permission," Sam replied. He was suspicious now of this stranger.

Sam suddenly became aware of Cora heading upstairs toward Kitty's rooms, but he was distracted when George Upton approached the bar and addressed Faraday.

"I've never known Mr. Devereaux to miss such an important meeting, Mr. Faraday, Upton said, holding out his hand.  
He didn't leave any word for me that he would be leaving town."

Tanner shook the man's hand but didn't reply.

"I'm George Upton, representing Charles Devereaux, and I've been given instructions to join the meeting with you and your aunt."

"Pleased to meet you,Upton. I've already met with your boss and concluded the sale. All that's left is for me to pick up the money and deliver it to Aunt Agatha," Tanner said, trying not to let his annoyance show.

 

###

"Miss Kitty, wake up," Cora said as she leaned over the bed and shook Kitty's shoulders. "Where is the case Charles left with you?"

Her boss made a moaning sound but didn't open her eyes.

Cora looked around and noticed a large man's shirt draped over the chaise and smirked.  
She rummaged through drawers, occasionally glancing back at the sleeping redhead and then came across a box that held some jewelry and a US Marshal's badge.

Cora picked up the battered piece of metal, then returned it to the box and opened a small leather frame containing a photo of a younger Matt and Kitty.

For the first time, the blond realized that the relationship between them had a long history.

She turned again to look over at Kitty; then she was about to return the box when she noticed a set of keys. The box had been placed over them inside the drawer.

Slipping the keys into her pocket, Cora left to rejoin Upton and Tanner in the saloon.

 

###

Kitty woke to silence and darkness.  
It's true; you want to ask where am I, she thought.

The redhead slowly placed her bare feet on the cool floor and stood up, running her hands through her hair. She moved over to the window and lifted it a few inches to let the cool, night air come in and then turned on the lamp and looked around.

Kitty picked up Matt's shirt and hugged it to her face. She replaced it on the chaise and took the robe from the brass foot board, wrapped it around her nightgown, and tied the blue sash around her waist.

Again she looked around the room.  
Matt hasn't been here, but someone has, she thought.  
Must have been Doc.  
She also thought she needed to get something to eat and make some coffee. Deciding to find some boiled eggs to snack on, Kitty started down the stairs.

Crossing through the saloon Kitty heard a sound from the office. She quietly moved behind the bar to retrieve a pistol; then she opened the door.  
Light shown under the office door, filtering onto the floor of the hallway.  
The determined redhead took a deep breath and pushed the door open, aiming her gun at the surprised Cora Gavin.

"Kitty!"

The saloon owner put the gun down and said, "Good heavens, Cora, I could have shot you! What the devil are you doing in here?"

Just then a rough hand covered Kitty's mouth as a strong arm pulled the gun from her hand.  
She struggled to get free, but the man gripped her in a tighter hold.

"Glad you could join us, Miss Kitty," came a voice from behind Cora.  
She hadn't noticed him until he stood up to speak. He had been trying to open a trunk while Cora held a lamp for him.

"These keys don't seem to be what we need. Where is the case that Devereaux had sent to you for safekeeping?" Tanner asked, as he motioned for the man to free his hold over Kitty's mouth.

"You're too late, Kitty said defiantly.  
Agatha's nephew and the parson brought it to the church."

Tanner looked at Cora as if he wanted to hit her and then turned to Kitty and declared, "That's a lie! You don't expect us to believe that, do you?"

"Agatha Faraday is giving most of the money to build a new church and an orphanage. The congregation is gathering there for a fete on Sunday."

"Tanner, they're gonna find out you ain't Faraday and figure out he's dead!" came a voice from behind the man holding Kitty.

"Shut up! Tanner yelled.  
Tie and gag her," he hissed.

"They'll find her here and she'll talk, said the second man. We gotta kill her."

"No, Will!" Cora reached out to grab Tanner's arm, but he slapped her hard with the back of his hand.

Kitty looked at Cora as the two men bound her hands and tied a bandanna tightly over her mouth. The first man's hot breath smelled like a spittoon, and he rubbed against her as he held her in his tight grip.

Tanner was pacing up and down.

"She's going to take us to that church right now," he said looking at Kitty.  
"We should have time to find the money before the old lady and the farmers' families start singing the first hymn."

 

###

Kitty's bare feet were cut and cold. She shivered, and the man who first grabbed her moved his hands and arms over her body, making her shiver more, for reasons other than the cold.

"Why are we taking her? the other man asked. We should just kill her and leave her behind the church."

"We'll leave her at the cabin. Then we'll divide up the money and split up as we planned," Tanner said.

"Can't I go back for my things?" Cora asked.

"Just get in the wagon and make sure nobody sees the woman or the chest," Tanner said.

Cora obeyed, and Kitty felt the rough tarp being pulled across her face and body until the stars and moon disappeared into blackness.

 

###

Half way back to Dodge Matt Dillon squinted at the white morning sky. It was clean as paper before a letter is born, the blue late to bleed through, not a cloud on the breeze.

He wondered if Kitty was waking to the warm light coming in through her window.

Suddenly, the big man got a chill and pulled up the buckskin.

Festus pulled up his mule and looked at Matt, who had his head down and eyes closed. He was wide wake but deep in thought.

Festus uncharacteristically said nothing.

Then, as if nothing happened, Matt rode on, turning to his deputy to say, "We have to be careful they don't see us first, Festus. Let's stay off the main road and follow.."

The lawman pulled up again and added, "There they are."

Off in the distance a wagon approached accompanied by two men on horseback. A woman and man sat on the buckboard, and a horse was tied to the back. The woman wore a heavy cape with a hood.

"Is that Miz Kitty?"

"No, it's not her, Festus. Must be Cora."

"They're sure enough headin back ta the cabin. Reckon they got the money with them?"

"If they do, they don't seem to be concerned about a posse following them out of Dodge. Must not have had any trouble taking it from the Long Branch."

"Let's double back to that group of trees, Festus. We'll each take a side of the road and take out the riders if we have to," Matt said in his lawman voice.

 

"So, where you gonna head to, Jake? Mexico, maybe?"

"Naw, I'm heading north. No posters on me up in the Dakotas, and there's a woman I been thinking about."

"No kidding! You never mentioned no woman before. Maybe I'll stay here a spell and get acquainted with the redhead before I take off for Mexico," the man leered.

"That's far enough! Throw down your guns!"

"What the.." Jake spun in the direction of the command and fired his gun.  
Matt Dillon stepped out from the trees and fired back, sending the outlaw plummeting to the ground.

The second man fired from his rearing horse, and his bullet caught Matt's sleeve, grazing his arm. Festus shot the man square in the chest before he could fire again.

The marshal and his deputy turned to the man and woman in the wagon. Tanner had jumped down and grabbed Cora, pulling her roughly to the ground.

"Will!" the frightened woman screamed.

Tanner lifted her up by the arm and held her in front of him as a shield.

"Don't be a fool, Tanner. It's all over," Matt said.

"You must be Dillon. Thought we left you tracking in circles with two decoys to.."

"They're dead. So is Devereaux. But not before he talked, Tanner. Let Cora go and drop the gun."

"They tortured Charles to get him to sign the papers, Matt. And they planned to kill Kitty once they got safely out of town," Cora cried.

Matt suddenly stood up straight and looked toward the wagon. Tanner raised his gun to fire as Festus yelled, "Don't do it!"

The deputy's bullet got Tanner in the side of the face. He twisted wildly firing several shots before falling dead against the wagon wheel.

Cora Tanner fell face down as if in slow motion, the back of her blue cape displaying a dark red stain.

As Festus ran to retrieve the guns and check the bodies, Matt climbed into the wagon. He pushed the trunk out of the way and threw back the tarp.

"Oh, Kitty."

 

###

"Almost home, Kitty."

Matt held his lady close. She was wrapped in several blankets, but he knew her feet were cold. The sky was now a vivid blue, and the sun gave a soothing warmth, however Kitty drew her knees up in an effort to wrap her feet up into the blankets.

Her hand came out from the blanket to touch his bandaged arm.

"It's OK, Kitty. Just a scratch."

"What day is it?" Kitty asked in a sleepy voice.

"Saturday."

Matt looked down at the redhead cuddled beside him on the buckboard. "You're not worried about the Long Branch are you?"

"No. Church. Families."

"What?"

"I'll tell you about it later, Cowboy."

 

###

The night was off to a busy and very loud start in Dodge City. Especially at the Long Branch Saloon.

Upstairs in the proprietress's rooms, Matt and Kitty had locked themselves away from the responsibilities that would normally require their attention.

Matt wiped his hand over the steamy window and looked down on Front Street. Newly O'Brien was carting a drunk and disorderly cowboy off to jail, and Festus was breaking up a fight between the Krebb brothers.

He wrapped a towel around the handle of the big kettle and lifted it with two hands.

"No, that's OK," the lovely redhead hummed as she tipped her head to the side of the tub and smiled up at him.

Matt grinned back and moved to her side. His shirt tails were out, the shirt half buttoned with its wet sleeves rolled up. His broad chest glistened from the steam.

Kitty reached her hand out to softly stroke Matt's chest while he leaned in to kiss her tenderly, and caress her breasts under the lavender-scented water.

"Are your feet still cold?" Matt whispered as he kissed her ear.

Kitty giggled.

"I'm warm all over."

 

###

Matt and Kitty watched from the side of the path as Agatha Faraday was helped out of her carriage by the parson's wife.  
The old woman let it be known she could walk with her cane and did not need assistance.  
She searched around the gathering crowd for a moment and proceeded to the church.

Matt and Kitty were both thinking she still had to be told of her nephew's death, even though a body was yet to be found.

Expressionless women in homespun frocks walked past, as their round-shouldered husbands unloaded wagons of children and vegetables.

Kitty looked up at Matt, and they silently turned and walked away.

"So much for an exciting fete," Kitty said with a touch of sarcasm and sadness.

"Guess that's about as exciting as it gets for them, Kitty," Matt said.

Then he added, "Still, some people dream of having that kind of life.

Delmonico's?"

"I'm hungry, too," she replied.

 

###

The Marshal finished making his rounds and made his way up the back stairs of the closed Long Branch Saloon.

Kitty was sitting up in bed where she had fallen asleep reading a book. She had a sweet little smile on her face that he found so beautiful he just had to kiss her.

The crystal decanter rolled unbroken to the center of the carpet.

"Oh, Kitty, I've done it again! There'll be another stain on your rug. I'm sorry."

Kitty had to laugh. "I'll take care of it, clumsy."

Later, Kitty changed the dressing on Matt's arm, and then the couple snacked on cheese, bread, and beer while reading the Ford County Globe and the Dodge City Gazette.

Matt then tinkered with some drawings of a taller, sturdier commode stand to fit next to the one Kitty kept by the tub.  
He was always afraid of breaking the fancy pitcher, and his back hurt from having to lean over to view the tilted mirror while shaving.  
Besides, this new one would have extra storage space for the big towels his lady liked so much.

Kitty wrote in her private journal and returned it to the drawer. She picked up the book she had been reading.

She sat up in bed holding her lorgnette, occasionally watching in the soft lamp light Matt's tousled head as he bent over his latest design.

His frayed and worn union shirt made him look sexy, she thought.

The barefoot lawman wiggled his toes while simultaneously grinning to himself as he worked.  
Must be pleased with himself, just like a little boy, she thought.

Kitty turned down the light and placed the book and glasses on the bedside table. She took her place on the small bench in front of her vanity table, and with her eyes closed, began to brush her long, red hair.

Matt watched her graceful motions and her reflection in the mirror vignetted by the low lamplight.  
He swallowed and took a breath before asking, "Want a nightcap?"

"Sure." Kitty poured them each a small brandy and stood very close to Matt as he drank it down without taking his eyes off her.

He placed his glass down and took Kitty's, then wrapped his arms around her waist and moved his face through the folds of her gown to find her breasts with his mouth.  
She rested her head on his as she ran her hands through his wavy hair.

Without speaking, the two finally moved over to the bed, finished undressing, and turned out the lights.

Kitty's five-foot-seven frame curled up into Matt's six-foot-seven as he wrapped his long, strong arms around her. Her bare back tingled against his bare chest as their breathing finally became one rhythm.

Matt slowly ran his tongue over Kitty's ear. He kissed her neck and shoulder and whispered, "I love you, Kathleen."

Kitty's eyes filled with tears as she said, "I know."

They stayed curled up together for a long time, dozing on and off.  
Finally, Matt asked, "Do you want to talk about that dream?"

"No. It's over.

Matt?"

"What, honey?"

"This is how it should be with us, isn't it? This is the real dream."

 

The End


End file.
